Technology in education: Undermining every known bit and byte of reason ...

This school year, my daughter's private school, decided to utilize a new laptop program centered around ChromeBook laptops made by Dell. Most public schools in South Carolina have embraced this program over the last few years. The main sales pitch is that deployment doesn't require the use of "IT professionals" and that a tech savvy teacher with little networking knowledge can manage the tech fleet easily - all while staying in close contact with the students for homework help, reminders, and parent information.

"Charles Schwab (a Chrome Enterprise customer) rolled out more than 1,000 Chromebooks in less than 2 months using Chrome Enterprise Management. Everything worked right out of the box without the need to bring in IT to install any software or manually customize settings on each device."

- from Google Partner Agosto, Debunking the 5 Most Common Chromebook Myths

The internet, as searched by Google, maker of the Chromebook and ChromeOS underpinnings, is littered with shill articles as the top results praising the Chromebook's merits. Of course it does! And, when schools and school districts are searching for less expensive, easier to manage solutions for tech in their schools - what search engine do they use? I'd venture to say, "Google".

Not using a knowledgeable and talented IT professional to fix and maintain your network and security of information is tantamount to saying a trained school resource officer is unneeded to protect the physical security of the children. Think about that each time you see a school resource officer.

If you're familiar with ChromeBook hardware, these are very plasticy, flimsy terminals that run Google's operating system called ChromeOS. ChromeOS is based off of the Chrome browser - a competitor to Microsoft's Internet Explorer/Edge browser, Apple's Safari, and Mozilla's Firefox.

As part of having a Chromebook as a student, you’re forced into using Gmail for an email account. While admittedly Gmail is one of the most popular email platforms available, there’s this:

Google says it continues to allow third party apps to scan data from gmail accounts. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-says-it-continues-to-allow-apps-to-scan-data-from-gmail-accounts-1537459989

While Google has admitted to stopping the practice themselves (they used to “garner search results for a better personalized experience) they still allow unproven as trustworthy third parties to scan email.

As a 25 year networking and IT professional, I have never recommended anything outside of Apple hardware for security reasons. Apple's Safari browser for computers and phones is very secure as well. But, different needs call for different uses of hardware. I also understand usage preferences. If one of my customers needed to use Windows, I recommended the FireFox web browser. For continuity, I recommend Firefox usage on Apple products as well. However, in nearly every case that a Chrome browser was installed on any of the various hardware I've serviced in the last 10 years since the Chrome browser first came into being - there have been major security concerns with malware, adware, and spyware. It seemed none were caught by common use viral protection.

Then, there's an issue of privacy ...

A Missouri couple asserted that the Springfield Public School System is accessing their personal accounts and storing their private information on the system's Google Drive without their permission - including voice assistant commands from all household members

Also, from, Why the NSA loves Google's ChromeBook

"Furthermore, the Chromebook is everything a government watchman could want—even without Google Apps data and Gmail, it could give those with network monitoring capabilities a way to pinpoint the location of a credential-holder.

Chromebook plus a government-forged Google certificate equals a man-in-the-middle attack against the SSL security of Google's services—and a way for the government to read all of your e-mails and documents as they pass back and forth through an Internet choke point to and from your browser.

None of this is necessarily Google's fault. But it's a weakness of the browser as platform—by pushing nearly all the computing resources for applications, besides presentation, back up into the cloud, the Chromebook model creates a one-stop shop for attackers or observers to inject themselves into your computing world. ... Chromebook is unique in its tethering to a single set of cloud services over web protocols. When used with the best practices for web security, the Chromebook is secure against most direct attacks on the local hardware and the Chrome browser, but its dependence on a web-based backend where US courts have already ruled there's less of an expectation of privacy is something no amount of end-point security is going to fix."

Google can make all the positive claims it wants about security of Chrome, ChromeOS, and ChromeBook hardware, but be careful about their argument that privacy and security are not intertwined. Security goes hand in hand with privacy. Google is first and foremost a marketing company. Google collects data. Google sells data. They market their services as free. Remember the saying about free lunch? (if not, Google it ...) Google sells to the highest bidder, the lowest bidder, and even shares some data freely - personal data - with marketing partners and "researchers" to learn how to market to you even more. Our children aren't just being sold out to the lowest bidder for theirs AND OUR adult information - but being sold out to almost anyone that asks - above board or unscrupulous.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, said in 2010 that Google’s job was to “get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.”  (That’s a very creepy thing to say.)

Google is by any stretch of the term, “unreachable”. Try as hard as you can to communicate a problem to them. They consider themselves above the law and not subject to court orders, court outcomes of libel and content removal. Recently, Google even failed to show up to a requested government hearing on internet bias towards conservatives.

The ChromeBook, ChromeOS, and Android OS and hardware is in and of itself - one giant data collection experiment - perpetrated by by the biggest behemoth in advertising history. It's also one giant social engineering experiment with one goal; push progressive ideology and politics.

Dennis Prager claims in an ongoing legal battle with Google owned YOUtube, which has a near monopoly on video sharing services:

"The plaintiff, Prager University, said YouTube’s “animus” toward its “political identity and viewpoint” led it to curb access to videos, including through its “Restricted Mode” setting, on such topics as abortion, gun rights, Islam and terrorism, despite its stated promise of neutrality"

- Reuters

Recently, a video leaked showing Google employees upset over the 2016 Presidential Election results. The video also indicated that employees felt they may not have manipulated results and algorithms enough to push for Clinton's victory over Trump.

"In the hour-long video, execs including co-founder Sergey Brin, as well as Google CEO Sundar Pichai, chief financial officer Ruth Porat and top lawyer Kent Walker, respond to the election with somber tones and calls for employees not to let the results divide them.

"Myself as an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find the selection deeply offensive and I know many of you do too," Brin, Alphabet's president, says near the outset of the meeting. "I think it's a very stressful time and conflicts with many of our values." ... Later in the video, CFO Porat admits to being a Hillary Clinton supporter."

- CNBC, Leaked video shows Google's leaders responding in dismay at an all-hands meeting after the 2016 presidential election.

Finally, we come to how I believe ChromeBooks undermine parental authority and control. Over the past few weeks, I have been observing my daugther's Chromebook network activity - logged - as it runs through my router. We found her in her bedroom late, on a school night, chatting with a friend through the school advocated chat program that I am unable to block or manage in any way whatsoever. It further concerns me that while the school may have filters and firewalls galore to block unwanted content - such as porn, R-rated content, etc - I cannot reasonably or easily have all those restrictions for her. While I'm working on blocking certain content from her specific IP address and to and from (and through) my home router, it isn't reasonable to think the average parent is going to take these steps or have the know how to do it.

A little backstory, we do not afford our 6th grade daughter a cellphone or chat access on any device in our home - including games. A joint parenting concern is that her age and maturity are not appropriate at this time to utilize chat responsibly, but more importantly; safely. Furthermore, as a parent, I consider the use of technology as entertainment a privilege outside of school work, a job, or family use. In the modern day, that means that punishment for chores that aren't done or inappropriate actions or behaviors, is loss of technology access. I cannot take away my daughter's Chromebook. I cannot manage it's network access, I cannot limit email or chat access. I have to make her dock it (while she is not at school) in the living room and use it in the living room.

As of yesterday, I have a new concern. (A concern I had not considered.) My daughter knows I have a few passions; tech, music, and writing. She called me over to show me how she goes to Youtube, copies the URL for a music video, then goes to a website where the audio from the video is converted into a downloadable MP3 to store in a music player on her ChromeBook. So, now I had to be the buzzkill and explain that I download music from iTunes and pay for it and that I'd be happy to get her gift cards to pay for music if she wants. I had to explain to her that artists deserve compensation for their work - giving the example of "if you created something to sell, would you want someone getting it for free?" Sigh. The young me loved her even more for showing me that. It reminded me of myself, standing next to the radio with my finger on the tape record button - those were the days. The adult me reads stories about how people are selectively made examples of by Youtube and the recording industry - with bankrupting fines and embarrassment. I have personally seen clients get fined thousands for using unlicensed software.

"Streaming and ripping site like YouTube-MP3 are the latest targets for record labels which are keen to do everything possible to crack down on copyright infringement and piracy." 

~ Beta News

What is the solution?

Keep these devices at schools where they can be manged by networking professionals. Let the parents provide AND MANAGE  their own technology in their homes. It is an unreasonable argument in this day and age to say you can't afford basic technology - nor is it any business of the school to determine what a family can afford. I consider it socialism to determine that all kids must be equal - so says your school. There is public library access. Internet access has become as much of a utility necessity as phone access - in many circumstances - internet access has replaced phone access. But again, its not the school's business what you make a priority. Your child, or you as a parent have the right to desire and acquire what is best for your child.

But in the end, are these laptops really even helping at all?

Research by scientists at Michigan State University suggests that laptops do not enhance classroom learning, and in fact students would be better off leaving their laptops in the dorm during class. Although computer use during class may create the illusion of enhanced engagement with course content, it more often reflects engagement with social media, YouTube videos, instant messaging, and other nonacademic content. This self-inflicted distraction comes at a cost, as students are spending up to one-third of valuable (and costly) class time zoned out, and the longer they are online the more their grades tend to suffer.

This entire article was written by someone with a 25 year networking background? At the end of the day, I see education costs going up. The new cost of education is telling our children that cyber security and personal privacy don't matter.

Rusty Smith
COTU, webmaster